New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-30
WEST POINTS AWAKENING
TWO BUSY WEEKS FOR THE GRAY-CoATED
CADETS.
PROGRAMME OF THE DRILLS, EXERCISES AND
EXAMINATIONS GENERAL MERRIrTs STERN


dav IA 40 like another in ts awful saneness OF study
and recitation exercise and drill, that they would
utterly lose their reckoning IT 1t were not Tor the
weekly milestone in the shape OF Sunday OF morning
chanel and afternoon ps-are soon TO undergo the
final strain OF the examination. the brief dissipation
| of the graduating hop, the sweet intoxcatlon OF
short and sharp Irritation with some fair visitor, and
then the subdued fun of the summer encampnent or
| the perfect freedom of a furlLugh
| Examinations begin on Wednesday, June l. Inc
Board of Visitors will arrive before that date, and
organize for their work of inspection and review. In
the board this year are George W. Chds and Congress-
man Ben Butterworth, or Ohio. Mr. Chldss opinion on
tactics and the efficiency OF the service may not be
as rich in technIcalItes and detail as that OF some
others, but HE genius for organizing ana welding
| small army of newspaper writers ought to come In
play in these kindred channels. Though COngrt ssmao
Butterworth has dropped his military titis-nCt being
the OF who takes much stock in titles OF any
| kind.-yet he did good service during the war as
Young Icer Ohio giment and earned the rank
of major Tins he will be abe TO grasp the military
needs of this military academy, and moreover, being
| power In the House and in the Committee GU
| Appropriations, he may be able 20 get Congress TO
recognize some OF the crying needs and longer
iel wants OF tho institution. The officers in charge
! here never have any difficulty in mpressing fully on
| the Board OF Visitors the many things desirable TO
ncrt ase the efficiency of the academy. They send
the band 10 the hotel to serenae tho board on the
evening of the arrival OF the members and the board
straightva incorporates in Article l. Section OF its
report a recommendation that the band he increased
| in quantity and quality. They trJt the visitors
around the low-studdei dngy gymnasium. and
explain the desrahilit, OF complete physical develop
ment for the young officers who are to be cent out 10
chase Indians up and the lava beds OF Arizona.
They wind the ntiquated philosophical apparatus
| and diate on the necessity OF additions to the
museum that officers must DO engineers ant
men of science well tacticans. All these things
the board absorbs as readily as pine shaving
absorbs wafer. The boards dutliully embody the
same in their reports the documents duly filed aud
! published +: but Congress sercney puts the Hem OF
appropriation for ths Military Academy a the same
old figure and next year history repeats itself
For offensive and defensive purposes IN the serious
business OF cXaIhuatiOn -nainiy offensive, ~ the
cadets view the ulttcr-the Academic Boiri viii be
divided into two committees The frst committee
will consist of tho professors Of natural AMI expert
mental philosophy, mathematics, history, civil anil
mil tary engineering. ami the instructors in ordnance
and practical engineering. THIS board will SIT in The
library cool, roony building on The solih side OF
the quadrangle ncar the chapel Ii was an ODserV@-
tory la is yong days till the West Shore Railroad
tuunellet its ulndaton, upset the a.! istment
OF tho ele,copcs threw the transs out oil gear aud
DESTROYED the reputation Ot tne Astronomical clock Tor
truth and accuracy. Then the railrOad mad TO build
Cncle Sam a new observatory up on tue mountain
where it stands. plastered up against The rocks like
hawks ucst on the crags.
The second committee will consist Of the professors
OF modern languages, drawing chemistry and Law,
l
Their nauisitiou chamber will De Room NO. l. OF the
Academic Bul1in.. From Til !, and from 2:3D To
4:3O each day the trcmbng cadet IN the wmtest o,
his thirty nine pairs OF white duck trousers, the
smoothc,t OF coats and the stifct OF collars, will
stand in the awful presence OF these examining
boards like Van Ampurgh who, according 10 popular
report. goes to Nil the shows puts h4 head in the
lions mouth AMI " tells you all he knows
Every day First Lientenant Sidney t. Stuart AMI
Second Lieutenant Frederick Follv the secretaries
| ,.a IA vii
precision report the progress OF tue examination to
Adutant v. &. Brown. under whose skiltn direction
the mass OF statistics val be arranged and the veal or
woe Of each particular cadet decided
! The show part OF the. examination, consisting Of
the various drills aud Vows begins On june 1, with
the sic.. battery md mortar battery drills. An un
fortunate target across tho river VIII lie peted as
usual until II "a but wreck OF lta ioimer sell lHe
shells Will go h1Sing heavehward aid then drop
calmly int tie crows nest upon tho mountain. where
their "a plosion Will kick up cloud OF dust ana send
! a iai.t report back across the river.
The review will come on ihursday, June =, when
| the Board Ut Visitors, beaded ~ the Communicate
will inspect the battalion, each particular cluet mold
ing himself sim and cxpressioness ~ though he
we're "A lly figure carved ont of gray and white chalk
ON Friday comes the light battery drill, when the
artillery will 20 chargingu and down the PLAIN amid
/ yn,cb cl,nking of harnesses, rumbling of wheels
foot ing OF bugles and Unlimited du-t. The principal
infantry drll, the school oil the Dhtlon ID set ior
! Saturday.
! ON Monda-. june q. there will be drill by the
seacoast battery the guns OF which are not 20 large
as the ihunderer' OF the sieGc battery Ine'e guns
will be piaccd nearer the yers cIgc and tr mark
| will be a floating one. On tuesday the cavalry drill
| will <hibit the cadets hor,emanshlp 10 great al
| vantage The inaLtry battalion on wednesday will
! snow how il would skirmish IA tho presence OF u
! superior force nj the expense OF much gunpowder
and the total route oi the more nervous spectators,
! The engineers will wiestle with the pOntoons on
Tbursday morning. building bridge IN less time than
il take, TO tell the story The cavalry will 90 through
the school Of the soldier IN the afternoon ms con,
si.t- Of oil bareback riding sabre exercise ana
! the like IL the most dangerous oil all the cN-
! hbitions and often cots some OF the performers
lew broken ribs and legs Military signaling gym
| pastcs practise with tue sword aud Dayonet, etc,
| will be sandwiched in at convenient points
Alumni Day tails On Thursday. June D. and the old
fellows will take possession OF the post The annual
meeting will be held III the chapel nj o'clock In the
afternoon and the annual dinner will be served in the
| mess hall Immediately after evening parade. All
graduates may become members OF the association on
fine payment OF an initiation tee OF gle. There are no
annual dues The indeintisapie secretary OF tno
| association, Lieutenant Charles Braden, has made
arrang emonts tor STORM, those alupni who cannot
| find hotel accommodations in one OF the vacant
diyisio OF the cadet barracks. lie ~ particularly
nixon, to hear from all who are coming so that he
| NAV prepare the feast accordingly. Two years ago
! large unexpected contingent swept down on the
annual bananst anc it only through the exercise
o1 gre,t sk and presence OF mind by the commissary
! department that the ice-cream was made TO 80 all
| the way around
! John H. h. Latrobc, of Baltimore. distinguished
member of the class of SD, has written his recolec
| tions OF West Point from 1913. IL Is proposed TO
print these as supplement 10 .ns year annual ,
! needs OF the members OF the association All who
dc ire copies are requested to inform the secretary
fxbo will furnish them at cost, not over % centsh
| so that ezra copies De printed. Graduates ia
civil lite are requested inform the secretary o. the
as.ociaiion of changes in their postotice addresses
The graduating hop will come OIL on Friday evening;
! lime 10 Then the cadets will perform their annual
act of heroIsm in going without any supper, 70 that
Ihe mess hall may be suitably deckcd with hags ana
streamers gay honor of the fair admirers OF brass
butons ho from all over the country 10 dance
,bat one brief night away. The next morning the
commencement exercises Will be held with the usual
! d,stribution of diplomas and good advice. The
visitor, will disappear In short order the graduates
| and second year men will don loud suits OF citizens
riotbes and HE them on on their furoughs aud West
Point will settle down again to the quiet humdrum OF
drill and dress parade.
General Merritt. the superintendent OF tho academy.
will leave West Point this year He will leave the
| ..eard OF a steln diaciplmaran. lie has rnled the